


Sometimes You've Gotta Rewrite The Plot

by xLoveMx



Series: You've Gotta Rewrite The Plot [1]
Category: High School Musical: The Musical: The Series (TV)
Genre: Blink and you'll miss it, F/F, Fluff and Angst, Future Fic, Gini - Freeform, caswen, down the line somwhere, gina and nini go on tour, post college AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-22
Updated: 2020-01-22
Packaged: 2021-02-27 15:14:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,042
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22359334
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xLoveMx/pseuds/xLoveMx
Summary: Nini gets cast for the Kinky Boots Tour. So does someone she hasn't seen in years...
Relationships: Gina Porter/Nini Salazar-Roberts, Ricky Bowen & E.J. Caswell
Series: You've Gotta Rewrite The Plot [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1609522
Comments: 2
Kudos: 30





	Sometimes You've Gotta Rewrite The Plot

**Author's Note:**

> Alright, here I come with another series! xD I am still writing on the next part of the "Play This From The Heart" series, but I won't be able to post that before next month due to timing, so have this instead. It's loosely based on a graphic I saw on tumblr, about Gina and Nini traveling the country with a theatre company and falling in love. I'll link it once I find it, so thank you for the inspiration! <3
> 
> And enjoy!

„And rehearsal starts in an hour? I’m surprised you aren’t already there, waiting for everyone to arrive.” Ricky’s face popped up in the camera frame on Nini’s laptop. He was wearing a shirt that was definitely too big for him and balancing a bowl of cereal on his knees.

“Very funny. I don’t want to seem too eager on the first day.” She was definitely going to be on time, but for now she needed to find her green sports bra, the one that went well with the comfortable pants she had bought for rehearsals. “Now can you water my plants when I’m on tour?”

After graduation, Nini had done some small gigs here and there, but nothing too big. So, when a friend had taken her along to the audition for the Kinky Boots tour, she had been happy to go, though admittedly she hadn’t thought she’d get very far. It was a nice experience though, and maybe it would be less scary to go to more auditions from then on. When she had gotten the callback, however, her life had been turned upside down. Before she could even blink, she had been hired for the ensemble, and as an understudy for Lauren, something Nini hadn’t even dared to dream about.

Going on tour meant leaving the life she had so carefully constructed in her small apartment in New York behind. Ever since moving there, and attending NYU, her life had been fairly comfortable. The same place to live in, the same classes, the same people, and the same coffee shops. It was…nice and going on tour with a bunch of people she didn’t know seemed…scary. Not that Nini didn’t trust the process, she was sure she’d become good friends with everyone, but that didn’t quite make her anxiety go away.

“I can get them to you guys if that works better?” She added, leaning back into the frame to catch a glimpse of Ricky pushing a spoon full of cereal into his mouth.

“Nope, EJ’s bad with plants. His presence seems to be enough to make them give up on life entirely.” Ricky chuckled and yeah, that was a thing she still wasn’t quite used to. It was funny, they had been friends for years, but her two ex-boyfriends sharing an apartment still seemed strange to her at times.

They had all ended up at NYU, though in different courses, and while Nini had gotten her own little place eventually, Ricky had lived in the dorms for a year, until EJ had offered him a room at his apartment. How that had come to be was never talked about, not with her at least, but as long as they got along, Nini didn’t really care.

“Okay, well. Maybe we can all meet for dinner next week? To say goodbye, and then I can give you the keys.”

She was going to miss them most, probably. Surely, New York had become her home with its lights, the buzzing streets and performers on every corner, but Ricky and EJ were part of that, and they had been part of her life for so many years, that Nini considered them her home, too.

“Who are you talking to?” EJ’s face appeared in the frame, and he waved, one hand resting on Ricky’s shoulder.

“I was just saying: Dinner next week before I leave?” Nini repeated with a smile, which was mirrored by EJ.

“Sounds great. I’m off to work. Have a good day,” He waved again and was then gone from the frame. Meanwhile, Ricky had finished his cereal and set the bowl aside.

“Yeah, you’ll be great. They cast you as an understudy for one of the lead roles as a reason,”

“Technically Lauren isn’t a lead role,” Nini countered, though she was thankful for the pep talk he was trying to give her.

“Doesn’t matter. You’ll be awesome.”

“Thank you, I’ve got to go. I’ll text you about next week?” She offered him another smile and a wave, before disconnecting the call.

-

The rehearsal space wasn’t far from Nini’s place, which meant that she didn’t have to hurry. She picked up a coffee on the way, which probably wasn’t the wisest thing considering caffeine was going to make her anxiety go through the roof, but she needed the kick to stay on top of her game.

A couple of people were already in the room, talking and laughing, and Nini recognized some of them from the auditions. She knew there had been a lot of people, so it was impossible to recognize all of them, but there was a guy named Tom, whom she remembered reading a scene with.

“Did you get Charlie?” She smiled, after he had waved at her from across the room. “Understudy, yes. But I’m your usually scheduled Harry.” He chuckled, and Nini found herself chuckling along.

“I’m the understudy for Lauren, and your usually scheduled ensemble girl,” She then added, taking a sip of her coffee. Honestly, she was glad to see a familiar face in the crowd, someone she had actually acted with before.

Today might have just been a table read to get a feel for everything, but Nini had already learned her lines and songs. It hadn’t been required, but she had wanted to be prepared, just in case.

More and more people kept pouring into the room, and Nini attempted to remember whether or not she had seen them at her callback.

That was, however, until a very familiar face entered the room. At first Nini thought she might have been hallucinating. That couldn’t be, could it?

“Gina?”

The other woman’s eyes found hers across the room, and Nini’s stomach did a flip. After High School, Gina had ended up at the University of Michigan. They had occasionally texted and talked over the phone, but during the last couple of years they hadn’t really seen each other. She knew Ricky had visited her last year, but Nini’s schedule had been too packed to join. They had gotten along well, so Nini wasn’t quite sure why their contact had eventually reduced to a few texts a month.

“I didn’t know you got cast.” Gina was smiling as she weaved her way in between the other people in the room, throwing her arms around Nini to engulf her in a hug. Nini did the same, her arms wrapping around the other woman, and for a moment she felt all her anxiety melting away.

“Yeah, I didn’t even know you auditioned!” But oh was she glad that Gina had, in fact, auditioned. They might not have seen each other for years, but Gina still felt a tiny bit like home. Like the security they had felt way back in High School, when they had been a tightknit group of friends in drama club.

“Michigan doesn’t have much to offer when it comes to theater, other than a few local productions.” Gina chuckled as she pulled back. “I´ve been meaning to make the move to New York for a while, so when a friend told me about the tour auditions for Kinky Boots, I figured I’d shoot my shot.”

“Good plan,” Nini agreed, pushing a strand of hair behind her ear. “Who did you get cast as?”

“Nicola.” Gina beamed, obviously happy with her role. Surely, it wasn’t the lead, but for a first audition, for a big show anyway? Nini was strangely proud of her. “What about you?”

“Ensemble and understudy Lauren,”

“Shut up, that’s amazing!” Gina’s arms wrapped around her in another hug then, and Nini might have held on a little tighter this time, just because she could. “Come on, you’re sitting next to me,” She then added, pulling Nini along to the tables that had been set up in the middle of the room.

-

The table read went well. Everyone seemed pretty nice, and Nini exchanged numbers with a few of the people from the cast, before everyone got their individual rehearsal schedules. She had a couple of extra rehearsals for Lauren, but now that the first day was nearly done, she was less anxious about the whole thing. This was going to be fun; she was going to be performing in front of hundreds of people every night, all across the country, and she’d be doing it with someone she considered a friend.

“Hey, do you want to get some dinner?” Gina pulled her from her thoughts, the other woman’s smile making her own lips curve into one.

“Yeah, sure. I know a cute little place just down the street.” Nini nodded, grabbing her bag and slinging it over her shoulder. “Where are you staying anyways?”

Gina grabbed her own bag, holding the door open as they headed out. “At a friend’s place. Well, more the place of a friend of a friend from college. I figured it wouldn’t make sense to get a place for just a couple of weeks. So, I’ve been sleeping on their couch.”

Nini nodded, as they stepped out onto the busy street. Up there, in the secluded rehearsal room, it had almost felt like they had been in a different world. Now New York, with its busy streets and people who always seemed to be hurrying somewhere, had them back.

“Makes sense. I mean…” Pausing for a moment, Nini glanced over at her friend. She wasn’t sure if it was her place to make a suggestion, but they had been friends for a while, even if they hadn’t seen each other in years, and they’ve had sleepovers in High School. “You could move in with me? For the time being, I mean. I’ve got a small guest room that’s not been in use ever since my first and only roommate packed up his things in the middle of the night and left to go to Columbia.” She then added. “And it’ll probably be nicer to have an actual bed to sleep in, especially when rehearsal days get longer.”

Feeling a nervous tug at her stomach, Nini tried not to bite her lip as they fell in step next to each other.

“Seriously? You wouldn’t mind?” Gina answered, her expression hopeful, which made Nini’s stomach flip again.

“No, absolutely not. It’ll be fun.” She smiled, and Gina chuckled.

“Alright, but I’m going to have to hear that story about the roommate who escaped to Columbia in the middle of the night.” She then added, and Nini let out a laugh.

“Sure,” She stopped, nodding at the restaurant they had passed, before pushing the door open. “But I’m warning you: the story doesn’t have a happy end, I’ve never heard from him again,”

“I love a good mystery,” Gina chimed back, smiling still as she walked into the restaurant, with Nini following close behind.

**From: Ricky, 7.34pm**

_Hey Freaky Math Girl. ;) How was rehearsal? Did you blow them all away?_

**To: Ricky, 7.43pm**

_I appreciate the Hamilton reference, and the High School Musical one. :P It was just a table read, but it was good. I also got myself a new roommate._

**From: Ricky, 7:45pm**

_Well that was quick? Did you check his references? Does he have the green thumb? I didn’t check for that when I moved in with EJ and all my plants died a horrible death._

**To: Ricky, 7.47pm**

_You had ONE plant, and it was already half dead when you moved into your dorm, Ricky. :P But no, it’s not a guy. It’s someone you know, actually._

Nini quickly snapped a picture of Gina, who was sitting opposite her, attempting to eat the spaghetti she had ordered without getting the sauce onto her shirt, before sending it to Ricky.

**From Ricky, 7.48pm**

_Are you serious?? I didn’t see that coming. Say hi to her!_

**To: Ricky, 7.50pm**

_Trust me. Neither did I. She says hi back! :)_

Letting her phone slide back into her bag, Nini glanced up at Gina, who was smiling at her, a tiny bit of the spaghetti sauce stuck to the corner of her mouth.

_This is going to be great,_ Nini decided. And for the first time in weeks she actually felt nothing but excitement for what was to come.


End file.
